Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Movers and Shakers

THE chairman of Volkswagen’s management board, Bernd Pischetsrieder, has been appointed president of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). The Munich-born Pischetsrieder, 55, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, joined the Volkswagen group in 2000 after moving up the ranks to become a key player at BMW, including a five-year stint as chairman of the management board. He takes up his ACEA post on 1 January for one year.

NIELS Boserup, CEO of Copenhagen Airports Ltd, was elected chairman of Airports Council International (ACI) for a two-year term starting on 1 January. Based in Geneva, ACI is the only worldwide professional association of airport operators, representing more than 450 airports in 45 European countries that handle 90% of Europe’s commercial air traffic.

CHRISTOPH Leitl, president of Eurochambres, the Brussels-based Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as of the Vienna-based Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, has been awarded the gold medal ‘Prix du Mérite Européen’, bestowed annually upon Europeans showing “an outstanding commitment to Europe” by Luxembourg’s Mérite Européen foundation. At a ceremony in Linz, Austria, he called for a “mental enlargement” to follow the EU’s “geographical enlargement” and help Europe’s 14 million unemployed back to work.

BRIAN Sheridan, formerly the youngest partner appointed to an international law firm in Brussels – Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly – has been appointed director of corporate legal affairs at Italian conglomerate SORIN. Brian is now based in Milan, but remains a frequent flyer to Brussels.